


Reasonable Exchange

by DragonflyxParodies



Series: Riches to Rags [2]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Gotham City Sirens (Comics), Red Hood: Lost Days, Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, Damian getting introduced to the family, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Family Drama, Founding of the Justice League, Happy Batfamily (DCU), Mentions of Talia Not Being A Great Human Being, Multi, Set up for the rest of this AU honestly, Superman Pisses Everybody Off, This has been my brain child for YEARS, Trading Favors, Wayne Family Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26364427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonflyxParodies/pseuds/DragonflyxParodies
Summary: With an alien invasion imminent, Wonder Woman and Superman decide to find some allies. This takes them to Gotham and the Bats who rule the city.Bruce agrees, on one condition.
Relationships: Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Duke Thomas & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Diana (Wonder Woman) & Clark Kent & Bruce Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Bruce Wayne
Series: Riches to Rags [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915876
Comments: 6
Kudos: 209





	Reasonable Exchange

**Author's Note:**

> I think I started this AU shortly after Capricorn, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about it and workshopping details this summer cuz at least 2020 is good for something I guess.  
> It's a...complicated AU? I don't think Batman has enough outside perspective, and this came about when I was wondering what situation he'd get that perspective in.  
> But the basic premise is that, after the death of his family, Bruce does not inherit the company or their wealth. Gotham is full of greedy corporate types, and when all it takes is some cash to turn the law's eye away, it doesn't take much to rob an orphan. So Bruce grows up on the streets. He's got Alfred, but they struggle and they struggle hard before managing to get stable. And yet he still becomes Batman; and he still finds his children. And he is, above all, an actually good father. + shenanigans ensue.

_“I’ve got one last bombshell to drop.”_ _He says, and Bruce shoots him a tired, irate glare over the counter. Tim looks up curiously, but nobody else seems to care that much, too invested in the pizza boxes piled between them. Jason’s smile is fragile, brittle around the edges._

_“What is it?” Bruce sighs, and hands Cass a plate as she squeezes past his bulk._

_“I had to make sure. If you couldn’t handle me killing, you wouldn’t have been able to handle him.” He says slowly, and sags against the counter. Bruce freezes._

_“Talia’s got a kid.”_

_X_

Gotham was their first stop, and Diana couldn’t help but think it might be their last. Superman floated awkwardly beside her, and she chewed on her bottom lip uncertainly as she surveyed the city.

The past month had been…productive. With Superman working with her, they’d managed to do much more than they ever could have hoped to alone – and so Diana had hesitantly put forth her proposal. There were other heroes. Other allies. If they could bring them together, and properly organize…

“Are you sure he exists?” She asked, and Superman nodded once, the movement jagged and sharp.

“I’ve heard…rumors. Met people who’ve worked with him. He doesn’t allow metas in his city without his express permission. Even the rogues here – they rarely look for outside help, and when they do it’s almost always to those already connected to the city. They wouldn’t enforce that if there wasn’t somebody they feared.”

Diana shifted uneasily.

She knew very little about this Batman. As Superman had said – she’d heard rumors, too. The night itself, given mortal form, roaming the streets and protecting innocents. His protective wing had spread, so to speak, in recent years – stretching from the worst parts of Gotham to blanket nearly the whole city, with the aide of his allies. Some had concrete identities – a Nightingale, a Spoiler, a Red Robin and a Robin. Others were nameless, barely existed in whispers. And some were criminals. Catwoman, as well as her associates, were known to ally herself with him. The Red Hood in particular was rather open about his allegiance – much to Diana’s concern, as the man stood as one of Gotham’s most powerful crime bosses.

Together, they handled Gotham in a way Diana hoped to replicate on a global scale. If, of course, they proved to be…trustworthy. There were too many factors for her to be comfortable, just yet.

“Can you find him?”

“I can try.” Superman said, and offered his hand. She hesitated a moment. And he waited, patient, understanding.

When she took it, he lifted them from the roof, and the world blurred around them. She just – it took her a moment, to get her panic under control, to focus on her breathing. And just as she did it, the world snapped into focus around her – along with voices. Young voices.

“—take?”

“You’re not gonna fucking get anything outta me. I toldja.” The voice was rough, male. He sounded amused.

“You’re just scared you’d fucking lose.” His partner replied smugly. Female, younger if her voice was any indication.

“I _would_ , and if you think I’m some bitch boy too afraid to lose to his sister, you’re fucking wrong. Only person I’d bet against her on is like, dunno, magic or some shit. And that’s a hard _if_.”

“Did your sense of humor die with you or something?” The girl snapped, and a third voice gasped in absolute horror.

“ _Steph!”_

“W— _Jesus fuck,_ Cass, don’t scare me like tha— _that was fourty-eight seconds, what the fuck,_ there’s no way you cleared the warehouse in—”

Superman let go of her hand, and Diana stepped forward, just enough to peer over the rooftop they stood on.

The children were sprawled casually on a fire escape, a girl in purple stretched out on her side. The man – a _boy,_ Diana realized – had one leg dangling clear off the escape, a cigarette in one hand and other pressed over his face as he laughed. The second figure was smacking the girl, still half-hanging off the edge of the escape.

“ _Mean!”_

“It was a _joke!_ Jay thought it was funny! He’s _laughing!”_

“Mmm, c’mon. Takes more than a _joke_ to hurt me.”

“Something like a _crowbar_ , you could say?”

He broke down, tears streaming from his face as he choked on his own laughter, and the second figure let out a strangled shriek – and in one fluid movement, was suddenly on top of the girl in purple. Diana couldn’t track the movement with her eyes, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight.

Immediately the three of them broke apart, metal glinting in their hands as they glared up at her. A staff in the girl in purple’s, guns in the boy’s, and…nothing in the second figures’. That was…. perhaps, more concerning.

Superman stepped up to her side and put a hand on her shoulder.

“’Fuck are you doing here?” The boy demanded, _drawled_ , and there was ice in his eyes. It was then she spotted the helmet, behind him. A _red_ helmet.

“Perhaps you can…help us.” Diana says, and all three of them snarl, all teeth and suspicion.

“We are looking for Batman. We have a – a _proposal_. For hi…them.” Superman was a little more diplomatic than she would’ve been. He looked genuine, hands spread out gently in front of him.

“B’s got nothing to say to you. Head out.” The boy replied sharply.

“If you wanted to make a good impression, breaking his rules isn’t really a good way to go about it.” The girl in purple added, though she put the staff away and placed her hands on her hips. The second figure slipped down, disappearing into the alley beneath them.

Diana grabbed Superman’s arm, shooting him a sharp glance when the Man of Steel tensed as if to follow.

“We did not wish to impose, but there is not any other way to contact the Batman and our… _offer_ is rather time sensitive.”

The children’s skepticism was like a physical thing, and she shouldn’t have been so unnerved by it, but –

There was a sudden _ping_ , and the girl in purple whipped out a phone, scooting over to the Red Hood in the same movement.

They both bowed their heads over the screen for a minute before the Red Hood sighed and the girl let out a choked sort of laugh as the two shared a quick, whispered conversation.

“…He’s a fucking idiot.”

“I mean. Yeah.”

“Tell him fine.”

“Someone else has made the executive decision to hear you out. You will remain where you are. Batman will come to us.” The girl was good at projecting her voice. The Batman’s associates didn’t, then, seem to know that Superman could hear them perfectly fine. Or that given the acoustics of the alley, so had she.

They were so _young_.

Diana wasn’t quite certain she wanted to ally herself to a man that let _teenagers_ fight his battles for him.

Superman nodded, if a little stiffly, and Diana took care to settle at the edge of the rooftop she stood on, her legs dangling off the edge. He joined her after a moment, and they waited together in silence.

X

“And has anyone else agreed to this?” Batman asked, and while his voice had been deep and gravely, the kind that made Clark’s spine straighten on instinct when he’d introduced himself, he now spoke… _normally_.

His voice was still deep and imposing, but gentler. And though he stood like some kind of monolith in front of them, with the kids leaning against him or otherwise invading his personal space, he was no longer quite as intimidating as he’d been when he’d just _appeared_ in front of them.

Clark hadn’t even _heard_ him approach.

“You are our first stop.” Wonder Woman said simply, and Batman grunted. The kids just glanced at Batman, and then at each other. Their body language closed, shifted subtly away from them and towards each other.

“Gotham is manageable almost entirely _because_ we keep to ourselves. Honor code and all that. Capes draw masks – the minute you start forming some kind of league of your own, they will too.” The Hood was not speaking to them, his voice pitched too low for that, but Clark stiffened nonetheless.

“There are threats coming. I wouldn’t have – “

“And how do you know?” The Red Hood asked sharply, and turned to face him with such exaggerated disdain that Clark’s eyes grew hot.

“Are you so against preventative measures? When they could save lives?” He demanded.

The Red Hood’s expression morphed into one of disbelief.

“ _You are!_ You literally _just_ dismantled Luthor’s predictive crime program! Invasion of privacy? That ring a bell? Excuse me for being a little concerned you think _aliens_ changes the ballgame there!”

Clark bristled.

“Brother Eye was _designed_ to take away the same human rights and basic freedoms this _world_ is dedicated to protecting! Forming this group would not infringe upon those! And how do you think we could defend the _entire planet_ against alien armies with technology and resources we couldn’t hope to find in this century?!”

“You’d have to keep track of, fund, and support every vigilante that joined, which _would require_ some kind of invasion of privacy – especially if they don’t want to give up their identities. It’s fucking logistics. And you’d be taking away the choice of protection, or course of action, from the whole fucking planet!”

Just before Clark could respond, Batman lifted a hand and – Clark _hated_ how easily that brought about silence, the Red Hood dipping his chin and angling himself back beside the Batman’s shoulder.

“Gotham does not need outsiders interfering in its business. But if there _is_ a threat coming, no lone individual would be able to handle it.”

Wonder Woman seemed to agree, lifting her head high as her shoulders relaxed somewhat. The Red Hood rolled his eyes, but didn’t speak.

“I would be willing to work with you, _outside_ of Gotham. On one condition.”

Clark nearly sighed in relief.

“What?”

“Help me save my son.”

X

He’d unnerved them. Said Steve Trevor’s name before the soldier could be properly introduced. He thought the soldier would have accompanied them, if not for his slip. Tim had gigged.

When he’d first taken Tim in, they’d had trouble bonding. _Bruce_ had had trouble bonding. So – putting together dossiers on well-known metas, first in Gotham and then outside, had been a passable medium. It’d – helped.

Bruce didn’t mind the awkward silence, honestly – not when his children were muttering amongst themselves, and Jason was teaching Cass some elaborate handshake, and Dick was in a staring contest with Stephanie, and –

There’d be another among them, soon. Ra’s would never plan for the impossible – Bruce obtaining outside aide. And if Talia had sent Jason first, she’d be willing to send her son with them.

The fact that she _had_ a son was another matter. He’d had time to process it. Made it clear to Jason she wouldn’t be welcome in their business, no matter what she’d done for him, no matter who she was to the child they were about to rescue.

To his credit, Jason had just demanded a promise not to go after her. It was a concession he’d made, for his son’s sake. And he’d said nothing else of it; not knowing he had a son was one thing. But if Jason found out the circumstances of this child’s conception –

Call him weak; Bruce could not bear to take _any_ kind of positive force from Jason, as much as it soured his tongue to know she counted as one. Not after Jason had already lost everything.

“You are telling us that this child is in danger?” Diana Prince finally asked, and some of the tension in him eased.

“I mean aside from the abuse and how-to-be-an-assassin training, not of immediate death. _Yet_. Give it a few years and Ra’s probably try to wear him like a skinsuit.”

“I hate you. I can never unhear that.” Tim growled, and Jason grinned. Dick sighed, exasperated. Bruce’s heart ached at the sound – Dick was handling this _very_ well.

“His mother sent Jason home to test the waters. She is waiting for us to pick him up, but Ra’s will not let him go easily. Fortunately, he can’t plan for the impossible.”

Meaning an Amazon and an alien with superhuman strength tearing down his front door.

Ra’s stuck to his no-outsiders rule just as much as Bruce did. Shaking things up would only work once, but it _would_ work.

And. It wasn’t as if Ra’s had anything else Bruce would ever have to break down his door for. He’d checked, _thoroughly._ Barbara had even double-checked for free.

“Yes.”

“Why haven’t you done this already?” Superman, one Clark Kent, asked. He looked more suspicious than Ms. Prince did; her expression had resolved into pure determination the minute Jason had interjected.

Bruce shot the idiot a patented Alfred Look. It was more than a little satisfying to see the man flinch.

“If I had the resources to fund a cross-continental rescue mission I would have done so already.”

“Not everyone can fly, Big Blue.” Dick chirped, and then darted forward to haul Jason into his side. Bruce hadn’t caught whatever his son had been about to do, but Cassandra let out a little noise of rage and pounced at the two of them.

Stephanie pressed herself against his side, looking a little green, and Bruce draped an arm around her.

He _had_ been caught off-guard by the invisible airplane. It was unsettling enough on the outside; being able to see straight down to the water rushing below them was even more so. Dick was delighted, but the rest of his children had not taken to it with the same degree of enthusiasm – Cass and Jason’s fighting was more hyper focused than usual only so they wouldn’t look _down_.

“’S only been a couple months. Told the kid I’d be back ‘fore winter, so. We’re doing alright.” Jason said.

“How did the child – end up there, then? So far from home?” Clark pressed.

“Ra’s runs the League of Assassins. I will give you three guesses what they do. When I left, it was seen as a betrayal of the highest order. Talia let me leave alive; I assume that was all the goodwill she was willing to extend to me.”

It was – he was defensive, he knew he was, but he reigned it in as best he could. Cassandra shot him an approving look, and – well.

“You were an _assassin?”_

“For the asshole who came to _us_ , begging for _our_ help, you seem real damn determined not to trust us.” Stephanie muttered, and Bruce smiled, if slightly.

“She is right, Superman.” Ms. Prince wielded her disapproval like Alfred. It was – reassuring. He trusted these two even less than Superman trusted him, but these small indicators that they weren’t at least _totally_ terrible people were…soothing.

“We already know that our goals align. We came asking for help; we cannot begrudge Batman asking for our aide in return.”

That seemed to settle it; the rest of the flight passed in uneasy silence, save for his children’s bickering.

They were landing when Tim let out a horrified gasp, and all eyes turned to the boy.

“Nobody told – Catwoman doesn’t –“

“Spit it out, jackass.”

“We didn’t tell anybody we were leaving! What’s – _we’re fucked!”_

Everyone turned to look at Bruce, and he knew he didn’t wipe away his own horror fast enough, but –

“We’ll handle that when we get back.”

X

Jason led the way. There were too many of them to be stealthy, exactly, but as it turned out Big Blue Jackass had laser eyes, so _he_ set up some distractions by blowing up some vehicles and then they didn’t really _need_ to be stealthy.

These weren’t Talia’s people, lucky them – too incompetent, all running for the distraction and leaving the compound’s innards unattended. That was…concerning. The girls picked up on it, but he didn’t say a word, and only exchanged uneasy glances with Cass when he had too.

Damian was standing battle-ready in the middle of Talia’s room, sword in one hand and a snarl on his face that froze and died when he saw Jason. Behind him, Bruce went still.

“Todd?” He sounded surprised.

“Where’s your mom?”

“She is—"

“Jason.” Talia materialized out of the ether at Damian’s back, putting one hand on her son’s shoulder. She didn’t look happy, exactly, but –

“You coming with us?”

She looked past his shoulder, at the family and the Amazon looking around curiously, and shot him a look that spoke to her disappointment. He shrugged. He thought he’d surprised her, bringing others. Not Bruce, but the rest of Bruce’s kids. And the metas.

“This was supposed to be a subtle retrieval, Jason.” She said, and the note of warning in her voice was _vicious_. Jason raised an eyebrow. As many times as he’d interfered in her scheming and she _still_ didn’t count on him breaking all the rules?

Well. Bruce still didn’t, either.

“I think coming in quietly would’ve been more suspicious, considering the circumstances. You can at least attribute this to parental rage.” Tim said dryly, and Jason watched the dumbass give Damian a wave. Lucky for him, Damian was too busy handling the dawning realization that the big black lump behind Jason was his father to notice.

“You do not know what you have started.” Talia breathed. And then she knelt down and pressed a kiss to her son’s forehead. Damian turned into her touch and murmured something in Arabic too low to catch – and then, as if that was not the last goodbye they might share, Damian pulled away and strode right up to Jason’s side.

“I am ready.” He announced, and endured Jason ruffling his hair with nothing more than a scowl.

“It is time you left.” Talia said, and then Bruce’s hand was on his shoulder, pulling him and Damian back out of the room. Jason wisely did not comment on the fact that Talia didn’t so much as glance at Bruce. _That_ spelled trouble.

Damian smashed himself into Jason’s side the moment they turned into the hall and out of his mother’s sight. Kept casting nervous glances at Bruce.

Cass and Stephanie led the way out; they passed only a few men and the girls took care of them so easily that by the time they made it back onto Wonder Woman’s plane Damian was damn near apoplectic with fury.

Dick was the one to sign _hush, later_ when Wonder Woman’s back was turned, before Superman joined them. Damian stared at Dick like he’d grown two heads, but Bruce nodded and then Damian sniffed and sat primly at Jason’s side. _Outsider_ , Jason signed, just before Wonder Woman turned to face them.

“I told you before our mission was time sensitive, Batman. I hate to ask you to leave so quickly after reuniting with your son, but…” She was genuine, truly remorseful. Jason figured she was alright, honestly. She didn’t like him much, but she’d have been a fool to, so.

Bruce’s expression soured, but he nodded.

“As soon as my children are all safe in Gotham.”

“ _If_ Cass goes with you.” Dick countered. Damian looked up at Jason curiously, and Stephanie started giggling – but Bruce just sighed and didn’t argue. Which was interesting. Cass looked put out, but nodded.

 _Dick_ usually preferred to go with Bruce on Social Events. Cass _was_ the only other person he trusted with Bruce’s safety, of course – Jason liked to think he was climbing higher on that list by the day – but for Dick to volunteer to remain behind was _interesting_. Dick caught his gaze, and grinned with all his teeth.

They’d just landed in Gotham and were watching the invisible airplane kick up dust as it took off again when Tim’s phone rang and he went white as a sheet. They all turned their full attention to him, Steph already hissing _no sensitive information jackass,_ but Tim had them beat.

“Hi sorry I can’t talk right now Dad has a super secret love child nobody knew about so we’re handling that I’ll be in Friday seeyouthen _bye!”_

Damian let out an affronted noise, and then an even _more_ affronted noise when Dick caught him by the arm before he could launch himself at Tim. Dick wasn’t even looking at Tim, just studying Damian. They’d get along well, Jason thought, if Dick could get off his paranoia and Damian his ego.

“What was _that?”_ Stephanie demanded. Tim shoved his phone back into his pocket and jabbed a finger at the space the invisible airplane had been.

“Superman has _super-hearing,_ jackass!”

Oh _that_ explains a lot. Jason didn’t realize he’d spoken aloud until Tim threw his hands up and stalked off.

The rest of them lingered in silence for a moment, and then Stephanie clapped her hands.

“Alright. Let’s go find a TV, I wanna watch the fam kick some alien ass.”

And even Damian looked excited by that.


End file.
